Furnace for exfoliating perlite or the like



April 6, 1954 c. P. DIEHL.

FURNACE FOR EXFOLIATING PERLITE 0R THE LIKE Filed Feb. 13, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet l Bm@ L.-

INVENTOR CHARLES l? DIEHL BYWMQWUW @1 ATTORNEY pmli 6 i954 c. P. DIEHL.

FURNACE FOR EXF'OLITING PERLITE OR THE LIKE Filed Feb. 13, 1951 4 Sheets--Sheel 2 NIH@ INVENTOR ATTORNEY April 6, 1954 c. P. Dial-n. 2,6%445 FURNACE FOR EXFOLIATING PERLITE OR THE LIKE Filed Feb. l5, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR CHA ms Pl DIEHL mmwewmq* wack/mq ATTORNEYS April 1954 c. P. DIEHL FURNACE FOR EXFOLIATING PERLITE OR THE LIKE R H 4 m m M O`|lv mllwv m\ W L O -N H W s \\1/l1 E A l NN m hewn L D m C P. N S `w\ S .q .4

0 u w\. R M il C |v m I l I l l l l 1 lallll: -iii Y DD miiW n Filed Feb. 1.3, 1951 Patented Apr. 6, 1954 FURNACE FOR EXFOLIATmG PERLITEl B.Y THE LIKE Charles P. Diehl, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to John Deca Mines Furnace, Inc., Pasadena, Calif., a corporation of California Application February 13, 1951, Serial No. 210,775

3 Claims. l

In the mining industry there are certain types of ores which are not amenable to low-cost processing to recover the values therein, especially ores containing gold, silver, tungsten and the platinum group of metals. The particular reason for this is the presence of other minerals which interfere with standard methods of procedure.

Gres which contain the sulndes of the metals desired to be recovered require special treatment, which adds greatly to the expense of processing. Therefore, medium and low-grade ores cannot be handled protably and so these deposits must be abandoned.

It has now been determined that if these sulfide ores are ground to the required degree of fineness (for instance 100 to 200 mesh) and then concentrated, and these concentrates then have added to them the required proportion of calcium of magnesium carbonate or carbonates (or other non-metallic carbonate or carbonates) ground to the same mesh and thoroughly mixed, and thereafter this mixture subjected to the required temperature in a specially constructed revolving furnace according to the invention, a reaction takes place whereby the sulfur content` of the ore is converted to sulfur dioxide (SO2) which in turn is absorbedby the non-metallic carbonate or carbonates present, leaving the metaly or metals in a convenient form for prontable recovery. This is especially true when the ore contains gold, suphur, tungsten or both silver and gold.

The recovery method used may then be either the mercury plate or bowl, or the cyanide process.

Another type of ore is that which contains gold in nely divided particles, yetwhen groundto 100 to 200 mesh and then concentrated and the concentrates run over the mercury plate the gold fails to be picked up by the mercury because of the presence in the ore of talc or clay which forms a slime and prevents the deposition of the gold on the mercury plate. By heat treating the concentrates in the improved specially de.- signed revolving furnace, with or without the addition of other minerals or chemicals, such slime formation is inhibited and the gold` particles adhere to the mercury on the plate or in the bowl.

Tale (lvIgaSirOmOHlz) may be fired in a furnace to drive off the water and will then become hard and durable. The thermal decomposition of talc has been studied and it has been found that one molecule of water isrdriven off between 380 and 5009 C., and the remaining molecule (of combined water) between 8009- and 840 C. In the process the specific gravity increases from 2.83 to 2.91, and at the higher temperature the talc decomposes to enstatite and amorphous silica. Inversion of the enstatite to clinoenstatite takes place between 1,200 and 1,300 C., with conversion of the amorphous silica to cristobalite. rEhe results support the View that water in talc in excess of one molecule is not water of constitution,` but may be held electrostatically between elevage planes.

Electronics may also be eifectively used with mercury plate or bowl. Also the cyanide process may be used.

Besides the above mentioned types of ores, there are also the so-called black sands which are` so numerous along the Oregon and Washington coast lines, and other localities, and which contain very profitable amounts of gold, platinum and other metals. No successful method or process has yet been devised to recover the values from these sands but by the use of the present invention involving the specially designed and devised heat treating revolving furnace to convert the black iron oxide (FeaOr) to the red iron oxide (FezOa) the gold and platinum and other metals are released for easy recovery by standard methods. The sands may be ground to any mesh desirable to facilitate the heat treatment andafter process for successful recovery of the values.

The invention has for its principal object to provide an improved heat treating revolving furnace for the processing of ore for the purposes above stated.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be moreparticularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein the symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several Views.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of an improved furnace constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2V is a fragmentary perspective, taken on an enlarged scale and showing more particularly the airandgaseous fuel connections and the device for introducing the material` to be treated.

FigureS is a section taken on the line 3 3 in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a `section taken on the line 4-4 in Fig-ure 3 with partsshown in elevation.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective View of the rear-portion of the device showing the air and gas fuel connectionsthe vaporizing device, ignition method and associated parts.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line -6 of Figure l.

Figure 7 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 'I-l in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 8-8 in Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a transverse section taken on the line 9 9 in Figure 6, and

Figure 10 is a transverse section taken on the line lil-I E) in Figure 6.

Referring more particularly to the drawings l5 designates a truck or wheeled carriage on which are erected standards l5 reinforced by appropriate braces l'i and carrying at the upper ends a pivot or pivots I3 upon which a tilting platform I3 is mounted for vertical tilting movement.

The tilting frame I9 carries a rotary tube 25 having two or more rotating bands 2l secured to the tube and having stepped down shoulders 22 at opposite sides of the higher central portion of the bands to accommodate pairs of rollers 23 for the rotary support of the tube 2G and to prevent the tube from sliding axially through the roller support.

Such rollers 23 may be provided in four pairs as indicated in Figure 7. rEhe rollers are carried in pairs by links 24 pivoted at 25 in supports 26 affixed to forward and rear portions of the tilting frame I9. Springs 2l are interposed between the rollers 23 and the supports 25 for urging the rollers 23 yieldably against the shoulders 22 at opposite sides of the raised bands 2 I.

The supports 26 at the outer end of the tilting frame i9 have afxed thereto side braces 223 which also may be affixed to the tilting frame i9 at their inner ends and are joined at their outer ends by an end connecting brace 29 which extends across the open discharge end of the rotary tube 2S.

riurn buckles 3G are connected between the truck i5 and the rear portion of the tilting frame i9 for the purpose of adjusting said tilting frame I9 angularly about the fulcrum or pivot ES.

A driven sprocket 3|, Figure 10, is afhxed about the rotary tube with which a chain 32 is engaged for driving the rotary tube 25. |'Jhe chain 32 is driven from a drive sprocket 33 on the armature shaft of a motor 34 which is under the control and which may be regulated as to speed by a motoi control switch 35.

The outer steel tube 2G is provided interior-ly with an asbestos packing 36 within which is a ire proof lining 3l defining the internal tube cylinder or ring chamber 38.

A ame nozzle 3S) projects into the cylinder 38 at its inner or charging end, such flame nozzle adapted to receive a suitable mixture of air and gas fuel from a vaporizer 4i) which may be situated just beyond the charging end of the cylinf closes the charging end of the cylinder 3B while the side wall is of greater diameter than the casing 2i] and extends sufliciently forward preferably to encase the drive sprocket and chain gearing and one of the roller supports for the casing.

A hopper or mineral bin 4l for containing material to be reduced or treated is arranged above a vibratory feed pan 48 which receives a vibratory motion from a vibrator 49 which may be electrically or otherwise operated. The inner end of the feed pan 48 projects through an opening 5@ in the end hood wall 46.

As shown more particularly in Figures 2, 3 and 4, a feed control plate is preferably provided having a series of ports 52 which are graduated in size and which are struck upon the same radius from a central pivot 53 about whi-ch the plate may rotate to bring a selected opening 52 beneath the hopper or funnel spout 56. The adjustment may be preserved by dropping a locking pin 55 in a selected opening 54 which registers with the same when its corresponding port 52 is in alignment with the funnel spout 56.

In the use of the improved furnace, the restarting plug 43 is rst removed and compressed air and compressed gas fuel permitted to enter through lines 42 and 4i to the vaporizer 40. A match may be applied as shown in Figure 5 at the opening created by the removing of the plug 43, which will ignite the vaporized fuel in the Vaporizer 45. Such ignited fuel will issue through the flame nozzle 39 and be directed into the cylinder 38. The motor 34 is energized through the switch 35 and through the chain 2 I and sprocket gearing will rotate the tube 2@ and its cylinder or chamber 38. This cylinder and tube may be tilted about the axis i3 by the turn buckle 3d in order that such cylinder may assume the proper angle. The rate of rotation of the cylinder 38 may be adjusted at the switch 35 which is associated with a rheostat. The vibrator 49 is also energized which will communicate to the vibratory feed pan 48 a vibratory motion. The crushed material delivered from the hopper 4l into the feed pan 48 is released into the cylinder at a point adjacent the inner end of the flame nozzle 39. Such material then proceeds through the rotating cylinder 38 and out at the opposite end into a barrel or other container. The ore is cleansed and the impurities eliminated.

Preparatory to placing the ore in the hopper 4l, the same is reduced to a required mesh. The time of treatment of such ore can be regulated and depends upon the particle size of such ore and the particular ore treated. The rate of movement of the material through the cylinder can be controlled by the angle of tilt and also by the rotation rate of the cylinder. During treatment, sulfur, carbon dioxide and other impurif ties are eliminated.

The machine is designed for the use of gas, either manufactured or natural, or of oil. The machine is extremely useful for exploding or exfoliating perlite and other suitable minerals.

It is to be noted that the flame does not touch the ore. The vibratory pan 48 discharges the ore particles beneath the flame nozzle 39 and such particles tend to fall to the lower portion of the cylinder 38 which is in continuous rotation thus tending to carry the material through the cylinder in a substantially spiral path subjected to the heat generated in the chamber by the burning of the fuel issuing from the nozzle 39. The cylinder may be heated to any length desired and to any degree necessary to any purpose. The cylinder and tube may be elevated or lowered as required through the turn buckle 30.

At 51 and 58 are shown flash guards for the protection of the operator.

Although I have disclosed herein the best form of the invention known to me at this time, I reserve the right to all such modifications and changes as may come within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A furnace for the purpose described comprising a cylindrical type furnace, a movable support for said furnace, means for pivotally mounting said furnace on said support, means for mounting said furnace for rotation upon said support, tilting means for tilting said furnace vertically about its longitudinal axis, a flame nozzle at the charging end of said furnace cylinder carried eccentrically of the longitudinal axis of the cylinder, means to furnish vaporized fuel and air to said nozzle, means parallel and spaced from the nozzle to introduce to` the charging end of the cylinder particle-form ore out of contact with the name from said nozzle, rotary means for imparting rotary motion to said cylinder, and vibrator means for vibratorally feeding the particle form ore into said cylinder and te commence passage of the ore through the cylinder, the rotary motion of said cylinder and its angular tilt accelerating the passage of ore through the cylinder at a predetermined rate of movement.

2. A furnace as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for mounting the cylindrical furnace for rotation upon said support consists of a base frame having spaced apart cradles for rotatably receiving the cylinder, annular guides carried by said cylinder adapted to register with said cradles, gear means about the periphery of one of said annular guides, a variable speed electric motor carried by said frame, and connecting drive means between said motor and said gear means on one of said annular guides whereby upon increasing or decreasing the rotational speed of said motor a corresponding' change in rotational speed will be imparted to said cylinder.

3. A furnace as claimed in claim 2 wherein said tilting means consists of a turnbuckle one component of which is secured to said movable support and another component of which is secured to the base frame of the mounting for rotation of said cylindrical furnace, whereby the speed of travel of the ore through the cylinder may be increased or decreased dependent upon rotational speed of said cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 672,065 Lawrence Apr. 16, 1901 1,459,923 Nagel June 26, 1923 1,640,528 Bruhn Aug. 30, 1927 2,424,330 Robertson July 22, 1947 2,501,962 Pierce Mar. 28, 1950 2,518,636 Phillips Aug. 15, 1950 OTHER REFERENCES Page Converter Article (21 pages) however only page 3, 4, 16 and 21 of the article need be ordered. Sept. 23. 1949. 

